The Last Black Cat
by Fedora Tip
Summary: [Co-written by RStyle and One More Guy.] After Kirito finds out how Sachi is mistreated by the Moonlit Black Cats, he decides to confront the guild leader, Keita. However, things don't go as planned at all...


**Author's Note:** Welcome, everyone! _The Last Black Cat_ is the first project of this account. It's been co-written by RStyle and One More Guy (we've both dabbled with some SAO), you can check our profiles on the interlinks in this profile's page. This story is in development for quite a while already, and for now, the result is this prologue.

This full-length story is based around a different version of our lord and savior Jesus-kun. Kirito is cold-hearted, even more so than his canon self. That is, until Sachi came into play. Other characters from canon will appear in this story, but we're maintaining the focus on the relationship between Kirito and Sachi.

This prologue is more like a pilot chapter, so we'd appreciate it if we got feedback.

The rating of this story may change, but that's highly unlikely. Not like anyone cares about ratings anyway.

We hope you find our work enjoyable to read.

 **PS:** Many thanks to Too Many Obsessions To Choose for betaing this chapter!

* * *

 **The Last Black Cat  
** _Act I - Chapter I  
_ The Beater

* * *

The sun slowly rose, painting the irregular, rocky landscape of the 28th floor with a strong tint of orange. Glancing upwards at the virtual sky, the teen sighed. Sword Art Online was indeed the masterpiece of a maniac genius.

Kirito wordlessly organized his inventory as the last mob too broke down into polygons.

"Okay, guys. Let's head ba-" He momentarily glanced behind him before cutting himself short, delving back into the silence he himself had broken. "Oh, right."

As the experience points from his last few kills were finally added to his overall XP count, a new screen appeared in his field of view. He had quickly dismissed it, only after realizing this panel was different. He quickly opened his profile.

 _'Level 40. Good,'_ he thought, satisfied with that night's results.

As for why he was out at night time, the reason was simple; the mobs on the 12th floor, where the guild usually grinded, granted him a miniscule for him amount of XP. He had no intention of revealing his real level to the guild yet, since their reaction would likely be anything but positive. In general, beta testers, who comprised a good part of the clearing groups, were frowned upon. Kirito was a part of the clearers, but had stayed behind to help the Moonlit Black Cats.

Kirito wasn't fond of guilds, but after he'd seen the Black Cats chatter in such a carefree and guileless manner, he felt that maybe joining them for a little while just to see what it was like to be an ordinary player wasn't the worst of ideas.

After a quick look at the map, he traced his way back to that floor's city, his footsteps quiet and his presence invisible.

It was already 6:00 AM, around the time when the early birds in the guild usually wake. As soon as he arrived at the inn (and temporary base for the Moonlit Black Cats), he darted up the stairs, intending to go to his room.

As soon as he turned around the corner, Kirito was halted by the last person he wanted to see. His tired, dark eyes met her cyan ones. Sachi was momentarily taken aback when he popped in her field of vision.

Her surprised gaze made Kirito slightly uncomfortable, and so he cleared his throat to alleviate the silence, and to take his mind off her nonchalant gaze.

"Uhm… good morning, Sachi," he said kindly, hoping the girl would step aside. Inwards, he was hoping Sachi wouldn't take note of this and just let him walk past.

Unfortunately for him, that didn't happen.

"Sachi?" he asked, voice gentle. He hoped that his words would cue in for Sachi to move away.

Instead, she lowered her gaze, visibly troubled.

Kirito opened his mouth to say more, but then Sachi's eyes squeezed shut, her breath shuddered, and she slowly, hesitantly, stepped out of the way. She dipped her head submissively - an apology - and then skittered away with the grace of a mouse.

In the period of three months, Kirito's opinion of Sachi had changed a bunch of times. He probably liked her the most out of all his other guild members, since she was so _quiet_ , but lately her silence has been proving to be even more deafening that the aimless chatter of all the other guild members combined.

Nevertheless, he couldn't blame her for being so silent all the time. Sachi had been under great pressure recently because of the guild's plans to head to the frontlines - an idea Kirito had never supported for many a reason - and learning about the girl's soul-gripping fears about dying only served to strengthen his refusal.

Kirito opened the door to his room. He spared one last glance to the direction that Sachi had scurried off to before closing the door shut behind his wake. He didn't bother to unequip his armour (though he did remove his weapons) and stumbled into his bed.

He had plenty of time to worry about Sachi later.

He needed sleep, after all.

Six hours passed.

* * *

As Kirito exited his room silently, he was greeted by muffled speech coming from the next room.

 _Are they talking about the lost potions again?_ The boy dismissed the chatter and turned to walk away.

"...stop wasting our goddamn time! We really need you to be battle-ready, and yet you haven't made any progress?!" There was a sliver of space between the door and the door frame, so as Kirito drew closer, he heard the one-sided conversation with startling clarity.

The pure anger in Keita's voice resounded in his ears. It wasn't the first time a similar situation had occurred, but this was the first time that Keita had been _this_ angry. He sneakily approached the wooden door to listen in.

"S-Sorry, but they are extremely busy with the new boss that was discovered a few days ago and-" A soft, trembling voice reached Kirito's ears. It belonged to none other than Sachi.

"Enough with your excuses! For the past week, all I've been hearing is "They're busy," or "They need to train with their guild too." If you don't begin quickly, I will have Tetsuo train you. Who the hell is that swordsman you're talking about anyways?" The voice of their leader angrily reprimanded Sachi. Kirito tisked, a noticeable frown on his face.

"I-I swear, they'll be able to free some time tomorrow! They're a good friend of mine, don't worry about it. Just, please, wait one more day." Sachi spoke in a distressed tone.

"You said the same thing yesterday. And two days ago, three… need I say more? This is your last goddamn chance. You're slowing us down. We can't go in the front lines with a lousy offense," Keita said vindictively.

"S-Sorry," Sachi stammered.

With quick, albeit clumsy movements, she was out. Thankfully for the black-haired teen, he was able to leave the immediate area quickly and back away a considerable distance, pretending to have just woken up.

With his right palm on his room's door handle, he let out a fake yawn. Sachi jumped when she saw him, a surprised "Eep!" escaping her mouth.

"H-hey, good morning, Kirito!" She greeted him with a nervous smile.

"Morning, Sachi." Kirito stretched his arms upwards. He feigned a sleepy expression.

"You look flustered. Did something happen?" He asked.

"Well…" She paused. It wasn't after a few seconds of awkward silence that she murmured a weak nevermind and turned to leave.

"Sachi?" Kazuto pressed, curious to know what happened.

Sachi fidgeted. "S-Sorry, I'm just a bit nervous about next week. We're going to fight in the 12th floor's side Labyrinth and all..." She laughed weakly, her gaze still turned away.

"That's a good thing," the teen said. Sachi's eyes reflected the incredulity she felt at hearing that.

"If you're nervous, you'll always be wary of your surroundings. You want to stay alive first and foremost, not win the fight."

Sachi said nothing at that.

"I-I never thought of that!" Although her words implied agreement, her tone was one of complete nervousness.

Kirito's expression changed slightly. _'This guy is a full-blown idiot'._

By now, Kirito had caught on; Keita was starting to become overbearing and Sachi was doing her utmost to avoid going to the frontlines.

"Mind you come with me for a second?" the swordsman asked, causing a chill to run down the girl's spine. She really didn't want to drag anyone else into this.

Kirito reached for Sachi's wrist, but he paused. He looked down at Sachi, as if asking for her consent. She nodded, brows raising to her hairline as he then grabbed her by the wrist and lead her to the swordsman's own room.

After making sure the door was closed, he looked Sachi in the eyes.

"I know Keita's been trying to force you into wielding swords," the sword-user said with a trace of anger in his voice. He wasn't exactly in talking terms with Keita, him being the main supporter of them moving to the frontlines eventually.

Sachi felt her hands turn colder. She quickly averted her gaze.

"And I can help with that." The black-clad boy put on a smile, hoping to help her loosen up a bit. "If you want me to, of course." The younger girl's shoulders tensed, visibly unnerved by Kirito's sudden handling.

"It's fine, really! I already found someone to help me, don't worry!" she said with a stiff smile, while staring at the floor beneath Kirito.

The boy sighed.

"That's not going to work on me, Sachi. I know that's a lie."

Sachi's gaze remained on the floor. "Can you really teach me? I mean, I don't want to take up your time, I know you're busy with the frontli-other stuff!"

Kirito didn't let that opportunity slip by. "I'd be more than grateful. After all, you learning to use swords can only be a good thing."

Sachi's expression after hearing that now sported a weak smile of gratitude. "Th-thank you." Immediately after, she turned around and left.

"We'll start this evening, okay?" Kirito said and sighed, thinking of how long it would take for Sachi to actually use swords properly.

* * *

32nd floor. The atmosphere was entirely different compared to the lower floors. Keita was overwhelmed by the sheer amount of people in the main towns – a sight he had only seen twice in the months he had been trapped in the game.

Players everywhere wore fancy armour and other diverse combat clothing. An air of professionalism surrounded them and no one strutting around seemed lost; a feat, since the 32nd floor had been unlocked only two days ago.

His mission there, however, was a secret.

He was supposed to meet with an info broker at the main plaza of the floor's largest town. He sat at the north bench placed around the fountain just like instructed, with twenty thousand Col in his inventory ready to be spent on crucial information.

It didn't take long before the info broker arrived. He was equipped with a hood that was draped over his head, a pair of dark pants, and also wore leather gloves and boots. It was surprising how most info brokers chose to wear such suspicious attire; instead of blending in with the environment, his clothing made it clear that he was a broker ready to make a deal.

"So, you're Keita?" The hooded man asked as he sat on the other side of the bench.

"That would be me."

"The twenty grand?" He glanced at him, only to fix his gaze on the trade window that appeared in front of him a second later.

"Here." The info broker accepted in a heartbeat.

"So, you found out?" He pressed.

"Yeah," the info broker replied, business-like in manner.

"Then… tell me everything you know about Kirito."

* * *

Sachi was dead tired.

She was gasping for air as she laid against the soft - and surprisingly comfortable - grass underneath her.

"I can't take it anymore," she managed to say between pants. The first day, while it consisted of simple, top-down sword strokes, was exhausting.

"You did well today," Kirito said indifferently, glancing at the virtual sky. "You did better than I thought you would." His expression didn't change, although he looked somewhat relaxed.

Sachi beamed at the compliment and her face took a light red tint. She glanced at the boy dressed in black by her side and smiled.

"T-thanks," she replied, hiding her burning face with her hands right after.

"You understand why wielding a sword is way more versatile, right?" He spoke, still staring at the evening clouds. "Parrying close attacks with a lance takes longer, since you need to move both hands to bring the heavier spear's body back to you. The sword only needs one and it's way faster. You lose the range and control a spear provides, but in order to fully use these advantages, you need to be in the midst of combat."

"Y-yeah, you're right," Sachi said, staring at her hands as she did so.

"But the sword can achieve a similar feat. To put it simply, instead of swinging the lance with your hands, you dart in and out and add range that way. You won't have to fear of getting attacked either, because you'll be fast enough to get away from anything."

Sachi's eyes gleamed as she heard that.

"Also, never forget; the NPC monsters repeatedly use the same two or three attacks. With enough practice, you'll be able to discern what attack they'll use before they even fully execute it."

Sachi, despite her fears, she felt a hint excited. Looking at her hands, she couldn't help but imagine herself doing all that. Of course, Kirito couldn't tell her how much time this would actually take, or the effort she needed to exude in order to fight like that.

"Alright, we're done for now," Kirito said, opening his inventory.

"O-Okay."

Deafening silence settled in; Kirito wasn't really a people person and neither was Sachi. They had that much in common, but probably _just that_. Although, he admitted he had taken a liking to her.

"Maybe it's time to go back to Taft," Kirito suggested. The boy was trying to be at least somewhat considerate, for Sachi wasn't used to intensive training just yet.

"N-no, it's okay… waah, it's evening already?"

"Alright then. Let's go back." His tone of voice would normally leave an impression of coldness to anyone hearing him speak, but Sachi was too deep in her thoughts to notice that.

He signaled her to get up with a motion of his left hand.

She looked away as she did so; her face was burning in embarrassment. If it weren't for the occasion, she'd be too happy to even speak. Even more so when he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. Her eyes widened and her breath hitched in response.

She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't notice him pulling a teleportation crystal from his pocket and chanting the words, "Teleport, Taft."

Sachi, after immediately detaching herself from Kirito, followed the black-haired teen back to the inn without speaking a word. She didn't notice the drastic change in the gazes of the others, unlike Kirito.

For the next hour or so, his guildmates threw piercing glares at him every time he passed by and would look away immediately after, like he suddenly became a stranger living at their home. The boy couldn't help but notice it.

Keita was the worst of them all. He didn't miss a chance to openly exhibit his hatred for the boy dressed in black. Kirito caught him staring, his eyebrows furrowed and an annoyed expression painted on his face.

 _Is it because I left with Sachi to help her train?_

He killed that line of thought immediately. The others never saw Kirito as a threat to Sachi; sometimes, they even thought he could perhaps find a way to change Sachi's cowardly attitude.

This didn't stop until they bid farewell to each other for the night. For the first time in a while, they didn't have a daily meeting to discuss their plans for the next day.

Kirito turned to look at Keita's room. Being the leader, he definitely had something to do with the uncalled-for change in atmosphere; but at the same time, it seemed that it would be more difficult to talk to him without raising his voice because of that. Keita wouldn't keep quiet, no matter what. If he didn't do something now, however, he had a feeling this whole charade would get worse by the day.

He knocked thrice and waited for a response. The lock of the door soon clicked and he heard a faint voice coming from inside, almost as if it was holding something in.

"Come in," Keita said, sparks flying from his eyes.

"Excuse me," Kirito said as he pushed the door open with his left hand. "Keita, I need to talk to you." He stepped in the room, emanating an aura of vigilance.

"You guys have been acting strange, is there something going on?" He said, although he had a creeping suspicion this wasn't going to be simple.

"And here I thought that nothing got under your skin, _beater_."

Kirito faked a look of surprise. _'So that's how it is.'_

"How could a guy with such a low level be so good at playing this game? And why wouldn't he show his stats to anyone?" Keita spat, every syllable coming out of his mouth like venom. He looked at Kirito with sheer disgust, like he had committed the worst crime there was.

"Keita-" The swordsman spoke in a soft tone.

"I wonder why you joined us… for you to exploit your position in the guild and lure us into an impossible quest to grab you a special item, perhaps? That's a thing a _beater_ like you would do, isn't it?"

"No, I'd never do such a thing." Kirito looked at the leader apologetically, "Just because I'm a so-called 'beater' doesn't mean I want to harm you."

"Cut the crap! What do you want from us, huh?! Col? Items?"

Keita burned holes into the other's eyes.

"If I wanted items or money, I would have taken something a long time ago from the Guild Vault, to which you had given me access to the day I joined. And either way, my level is too high for anything in there to be of value to me."

The leader growled in frustration, much to Kirito's amusement - he knew his alibi was solid.

Kirito continued.

"So, are we done with this? I need to talk to you abou-"

Keita swiftly interrupted him, "You want to take Sachi, don't you?"

He sounded desperate.

A faint urge to roll his eyes surfaced, but Kirito quickly suppressed it. "Of course not," he said, "I just want to help other players get better at fighting so they don't have to needlessly die _._ I just want to help. I don't understand why you're so angry."

His reply only served to enrage Keita even further.

 _Looks like he can't face the truth,_ Kirito thought vindictively, his outward expression still one of confusion. _How immature for a leader._

"Yeah, right! I've been observing you ever since you joined, and all you seem to do is talk and talk about 'the good of the guild' around Sachi! You're disgusting..." He was only spitting out insults now, blinded from what he thought was truth _,_ Kirito noted. There was no use in trying to reason with him anymore.

"...And to fucking think I trusted you! You were only after Sachi, am I wrong?"

Kirito remained silent.

"Answer me!" Keita couldn't bar his anger. However, Kirito could understand where he's coming from. The deep-rooted stereotype of beta testers being evil wouldn't suddenly stop having an effect on him just because Kirito was acting innocently. In his mind, the swordsman was definitely planning something.

"I think you're going overboard here." Kirito said nervously, "My aim is to help you - this guild - get stronger. Nothing more, nothing less."

The brown-haired teen clenched his fist. His mouth opened again _,_ but Kirito swiftly cut in,

"Is it really okay for you to act like this?" Kirito spoke, "I thought you were rational and calm, even in the face of internal affairs!"

"Shut up!" Keita snarled.

Kirito continued, unfazed from Keita's incessant yelling. "Weren't you the one who wanted me to 'answer' you just seconds ago?"

"Shut. Up."

"Why bring up Sachi? Sounds like you're getting desperate trying to pin some type of blame on me, when I have clearly not acted in a harmful way." Outwardly, he adopted a defensive tone, even though he was completely calm inside. He had long since noticed Sachi was peeking from the side of the slightly jarred open door.

Keita was red _._ He probably saw red too. "I've seen you look at her with sweet eyes whenever she's around!"

"She happens to be very soft-spoken and shy, forgive me if I was just trying not to intimidate her," Kirito glared at Keita, "Which _you_ seem to be fond of doing!"

He sharply intervened again before Keita could utter anything else in his defence, "And to think you, the guy who pressures someone who is _deathly_ afraid of fighting _,_ into going out in the _frontlines_ when she can barely hold her spear without shaking in fear, would have the gall to insult the person who's actually trying to help her _and_ this guild. Unlike you, I at least consider others' morale and potential before making _crucial_ decisions."

Keita had an unsettling smile plastered on his face.

Kirito frowned, his disappointment clear.

"What are you waiting for, then?! Here, be the all-knowing leader of our guild! Grace us with an abundance of knowledge! And, while you're at it, have Sachi for yourself too!" Keita growled, pointing at the Guild window, his finger hovering the "Transfer Leadership" button.

"Can you not hear what I'm saying? I didn't enter the guild in order to usurp your position, or to become some kind of prestigious leader. Stop spouting nonsense!"

His words were seemingly filled to the brim with spite. Kirito took a second to mildly shake his head in disapproval, staring in Keita's eyes as he did so.

"And what's your relationship with Sachi anyways? You're not her father, so stop acting like one!" Kirito narrowed his eyes. "Don't you see she can't handle the pressure you're putting on her?"

In response to Kirito's harsh words, Keita's smile immediately dropped.

"Who the fuck do you think you are?! You don't even know her!" It was clear to Kirito that Keita himself had lost all control. Anything that he'd say from here on out was going to come out of his ass. Then again, every word that Keita had uttered thus far was nothing but a load of bullshit.

Kirito continued, retaining his momentum.

"You were so reckless that you didn't even consider the fact she lacks proper combat experience." Keita cocked his clenched fist back momentarily, his heart rate having reached dangerous levels. His judgement had, if not already, become completely clouded.

"We all knew Sachi before this game started!"

A faked hint of surprise slipped through Kirito's guard and Keita grabbed the supposed opportunity to turn the tables on Kirito. He was merely digging his own grave.

"Oh? You didn't know that? I thought Sachi would have told you herself, but it seems even she doesn't trust you." He tutted, " And after all the trouble you went through! Poor you…"His manner of speech oozed with irony, a pucker forming between his eyebrows momentarily.

"How about you leave the guild and never come back? That sound good?" The swordsman raised an eyebrow, outwardly questioning Keita's judgement.

"And what are you going to do after I'm gone? Keep putting needless pressure on everyone, just to satisfy that childish ambition of being a frontliner?" Kirito continued hammering at the man in front of him.

The guildmaster tisked. Keita soon adopted an annoyed stance towards the swordsman. "Don't you worry, we don't need a guide, we fared just fine before you entered the Black Cats."

Kirito spoke louder. "Nobody in their right mind would act as you are right now. Do you still not realize you're causing problems for everyone?"

"We know exactly what we're doing, there's absolutely no need for your so-called guidance," Keita growled.

"Not 'we', _you_. I cannot recall you mentioning anything about Sachi wanting to take up the sword in our meetings before." Kirito assumed a defensive stance. "And let's not forget the countless times you suggested going to a higher floor just so we could level up faster. I think I speak for everyone when I say we'd rather live than have a virtual counter show a slightly larger number." He smiled coldly, "Thankfully, the others were smart enough to disagree with such a _foolish_ idea."

Keita's breathing got heavier. Kirito's purposeful intonation of foolish made his anger skyrocket.

"I don't give a shit! You weren't supposed to join the Moonlit Black Cats in the first place!"

The swordsman cocked his head to the side. "Weren't you the one who invited me?"

"I invited the Level 20 Kirito, not you!" Keita snapped back.

The black-haired teen stood completely still for a moment, contemplating something.

"If my knowledge and experience makes me inherently evil, then fine. But please don't lash out at me because of your personal vendetta. I want to settle this matter once and for all, but you're not letting me do so."

The guild leader paused for a second as he clenched his jaw and hanging his head before springing off his chair.

"My problem? _My_ goddamn problem? Why are you trying so hard to shift the blame-" Keita suddenly froze, as if he had a sudden epiphany.

"...That's why you act high and mighty when Sachi's near you. It all makes sense now! You think I wouldn't notice how you intend to destroy us from the inside?! Changing everyone's mind, one by one!"

Keita snarled as he approached Kirito, stopping right in front of his face. If the latter was affected, he was hiding it too well. A creepy, sardonic smile formed on the leader's face. Coupled with his completely bloodshot eyes, almost anyone would be creeped out from even sneaking a peek at him.

"I don't know what you told everyone, but I'm not trying to do anything. Why do you want me to be the bad guy so badly?"

Keita laughed. The swordsman looked Keita in the eyes again. He knew the man, no, teenager in front of him was too enraged to listen to reason.

But Kirito wanted that. Keita was dangerous, but as matters went now, he had the support of everyone, except maybe Sachi's. In order to be taken down, the black-clad teen had to bring the others over to his side first.

The swordsman braced himself to pull off his most honest tone.

"Look, you all lived with me for a couple of months, right? Have I ever been dishonest with you lot when it came to anything but my level?"

Keita snarled at him. "Are you backing out now?!"

"Look, I don't know what bad experiences you had with Beta Testers before I joined the Moonlit Black Cats and I understand you lacking trust in me. But, please," A short silence followed the teen's words. "Can we put this behind us?"

As he expected, Keita only snapped at him in response.

"You can't order me around, you hear?! You're not in a position where you can do that!" The black-haired boy sighed.

"If you wish to satisfy your far-fetched ambition of being a frontliner, do it by yourself. Don't put others in harm's way!" Kirito, implying he had nothing else to say, made a turn to leave the room.

"If you order me again, you're kicked out of the guild!" Keita yelled, filled to the brim with rage.

Kirito looked over his shoulder at Keita and pulled the door further open.

Before he could leave, Keita closed the distance between them and grabbed Kirito's shoulder from behind, turning him around. He raised his left hand and aimed at the teen's face.

But before he could do anything else, the boy had instinctively moved out of the way and let Keita fall face-first on the ground, his balance lost after the momentum of his punch carried him too far.

"You fucking piece of shit," Keita cursed, placing his hands over his right cheek, which had taken the brunt of the impact.

"You know my intentions aren't evil. Why do you keep insisting on being hostile?" Although he looked troubled, inwardly, he was smiling.

 _Fucking idiot._

Kirito left the room and closed the door behind him, leaving a defeated Keita behind without a chance at a comeback.

He stood still for a second, pretending to sigh. In the corner of his vision, he saw a silhouette flitting behind the hall's corner, whom sported somewhat long, black hair.

He silently withdrew to his quarters.

* * *

Kirito lied down, somewhat anxious.

Them finding out about his identity was unexpected. But at least he managed to somewhat salvaged the situation.

Although Sachi disliked seeing her allies fight, she'd witnessed an unreasonably enraged Keita and a confused Kirito. Despite Keita telling her who knows what, Sachi wouldn't easily believe the slanderous things he had said about Kirito. But she was still easily intimidated even by the idea of being in danger. The extent Keita was able to affect the girl was something he had to figure out and fast.

Keita was dangerous. No matter what the relationship between Sachi and him was, the teen lacked the skill to be a leader. Even if Keita hadn't been pushing Sachi into swapping spear for sword, judging from how he pursued getting a higher level, something bad would happen sooner or later.

It was clear the Moonlit Black Cats were not meant to be front liners, at least not with Keita spearheading the group. Kirito had been actively dissuading everyone from joining the front lines, but after this unfortunate event, gaining the trust of everyone would be many times harder. If he wanted to talk them off of supporting Keita and most likely dying - an outcome Kirito wanted to avoid at all costs - he had to do it slowly. Simply fighting Keita in front of everyone was just a surefire way to be kicked out of the guild.

However, Keita was only pushing everyone straight to that outcome. It was impossible to save everyone from the jaws of death due to bad leadership or over-ambition; but he surely had a chance to at least keep the Black Cats safe.

Kirito subconsciously wiped his forehead.

Nobody wanted to see a person die, much less die themselves. Going to the frontlines meant witnessing death, a fact the Black Cats could definitely not handle. They were but a friendly bunch, who wanted to play SAO for fun and were now stuck in a death game.

By any means necessary, he wanted to avoid any situation where they would be forced to watch someone die. If he himself was barely able to handle it, what would they do? What would Keita's reaction be? The underlying reason he wanted to head to the frontlines was probably to get a spot in the limelight; that line of reasoning was one quite a few players shared at the beginning. However, they all either changed their mentality, or simply died trying to look heroic.

Kirito silently stared at his clenched fists. Everything had come to a standstill. If he didn't act with absolute caution, he'd eventually be kicked out of the guild. But before he continued his train of thought, he was interrupted by a knock on the door. Kirito's eyes narrowed at the sound.

The teen got off the bed. His hand on the doorknob, he momentarily stopped. He was almost certain Sachi was the one behind the door, taking her previous visits into account.

He was right. Sachi stood there, restless.

"Do you need anything?" He asked in a collected tone. The girl in question didn't speak at all, her head lowered. Kirito waited.

"Is it… true?" Sachi muttered, although hesitantly. The silence that had been quick to form around them was deafening.

Albeit seeming afraid, Sachi raised her head, staring at the black-clad swordsman in the eyes; her facial expression betrayed some kind of false expectancy, almost as if she wanted to hear Kirito say no.

"Yes." While short, the answer was enough for Sachi.

"T-then, why didn't you tell me?" Her words were hardly louder than a nervous whisper, but they rang loudly in Kirito's ears. Sachi kept silently staring at his steel-tinted eyes.

A hint of doubt tainted his otherwise straight-to-the-point reply.

"It didn't matter whether you knew or not."

The black-haired girl looked away.

"I wouldn't have said anything…" she grumbled, almost inaudibly. Having to see Sachi in that state made him feel somewhat guilty.

"You already have to bear with risking your life daily," Kirito's expression turned into a tired one, "and honestly, you don't need any more stress. You knowing about this would only be a problem to you."

Sachi's shoulders dropped, a slight upwards tug of her lips' corners expressing her relief. But it wasn't to last.

"I get it." Kirito attempted to move closer, but she stopped him dead in his tracks with her hand. The spear user bitterly chewed on her lips. All her bottled up discontent and stress was slowly, but surely, leaking out of its tight confines.

Kirito didn't stop her.

"Why would you? I'm annoying, I cling on anyone remotely stronger than me…" She involuntarily clenched her fist, "Who knows when my tongue would slip, too?"

Cheering people up was never a thing he felt comfortable doing; and now, he had to calm Sachi down before things got any worse.

"It was never about you accidentally revealing anything, Sachi. Everyone controls aggro better and we kill monsters faster than ever before." The swordsman put his right hand on her shoulder. "But, would the Black Cats ever achieve this if I had told you I'm a beta tester from the get-go?"

The girl looked at him, her expression somewhat gloomy.

A heavy silence imposed itself in the room. But that was of trivial importance. He had a chance to get Sachi on his side once and for all. And so, he seized it.

"We... need to talk. Seriously."

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Hello again! We wanted to experiment with the dialogue quite a bit, especially when it came to one versus one verbal fights. It's a new experience having to think about what both sides will most likely say and fun to act it out, editing the text as we spotted mistakes. While we can't say it's a masterpiece, we're satisfied with it as our first shot at it.

PS: One More Guy here. Personally, I love replying at people who review stories I'm a part of, since I consider it a great source of feedback and a way to thank them for sparing some of their time to say something; especially when negative criticism is concerned. A way for us to further understand what the reviewer wants to convey to us is, in my view, essential. Please do not have the PM feature disabled, if possible.

Until next time!

~RStyle and One More Guy, the Fedora Tipping duo.


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